Imola 6 Hours - Raceday

Tommy joined the queue at the pitlane exit fairly early to be sure of taking advantage of the full 20 minutes of the official warm-up session, which started at nine o'clock. The team was keen to get all three drivers into the car so that Mike and Ben could also experience the revised set-up that Tommy had used in qualifying on Saturday - a revision that had, he said, created a car that was very easy to drive over Imola's bumpy and inconsistent surface, and could cope well with the kerbs.

The Brazilian completed his out-lap, a single flyer (1:42.525) and then returned to the pitlane, where Mike Newton was waiting to take over. Mike posted a 1:45 before he too returned pitside, to give Ben a couple or three laps in the HPD.

The former-Stig just managed to get out in time to cross the line before the chequered flag came out, assuring him of a full flying lap before having to end the session. That lap; a 1:42.704, suggested that the trio could achieve a consistent race-pace that would place the #36 nearer the middle of the LMP2 pace, and not at the back, as qualifying might have suggested. Each time the car came into the pits the team performed a full pitstop routine, including a third at the end of the session.

The session progressed without any major incident - a few minor offs into the gravel and some close passing, but nobody suffering any serious consequences.

It was an Oreca one-two in LMP2, with the #46 narrowly edging out the #45 for top slot by seven-tenths. Third up, the #49 Oak (with Prémat setting the quicker time) and Tommy's quicker flyer setting the RML AD Group HPD in ninth position.

Warm Up - LMP2 Times

	#	o/a	Team	Car	Drivers	Session 3
1	45	9	Boutsen Energy	Oreca 03 Nissan	Kraihamer, de Crem	1:39.040
2	46	10	TDS Racing	Oreca 03 Nissan	Beche, Thiret, Firth	1:39.874
3	49	11	Oak Racing	Oak Pescarolo Judd	Nicolet, Prémat	1:40.573
4	40	12	Race Performance	Oreca 03 Judd	Frey, Meichtry, Rostan	1:40.627
5	39	13	Pecon Racing	Lola B11/40 Judd	Companc, Russo, Kaffer	1:40.705
6	41	14	Greaves Motorsport	Zytek 09S	Ojjeh, Lombard, Kimber-Smith	1:40.833
7	26	15	Signatech	Oreca 03 Nissan	Mailleux, Ordonez, Ayari	1:41.105
8	42	17	Strakka Racing	HPD ARX -01d	Leventis, Watts, Kane	1:41.529
9	36	18	RML AD Group	HPD ARX -01d	Erdos, Newton, Collins	1:42.525
10	33	19	Level 5 Motorsports	Lola HPD	Tucker, Bouchut, Barbosa	1:41.417
11	35	20	Oak Racing	Oak Pescarolo Judd	Barlesi, Da Rocha, Lafargue	1:44.443
12	43	21	Team RLR	MG Lola EX-265	Garofall, Phillips, Gates	1:44.995
13	39	22	Extreme Limite	Norma Judd	Rosier, Basso	1:45.122
1	93	27	Genoa Racing	Oreca FLM	Petersen, Julian, Zugel	1:46.029
2	91	29	Hope Racing	Oreca FLM	Moro, Graves, Zhang	1:46.405
3	95	33	Pegasus Racing	Oreca FLM	Schultis, Simon, Schell	1:46.493
4	99	43	JMB Racing	Oreca FLM	Ducote, Marcelli, Marroc	1:49.654
-	92	-	Neil Garner M'sport	Oreca FLM	Keen, Keating, Hartshorne	Withdrawn

News from the paddock suggests that, despite sourcing a replacement tub from Belgium, and having it en-route to Imola, Neil Garner Motorsport were prevented from racing their #92 FLM chassis by the ACO after it was noted that two of their drivers had not yet set a time within the qualifying requirement for the circuit. John Hartshorne is a Le Mans 'veteran', and Steven Keating's times from previous rounds have always been competitive. The team is now considerably out of pocket, having paid for the lease of the tub to include Imola.

Also in Formula Le Mans, the Genoa team, which took pole, will start the race from the back of the grid after scrutineers noted that non-standard brake disks had been fitted. The regulation units had been replaced with an unapproved disk from another manufacturer.

Autograph Session
At ten o'clock the paddock filled with a scrum of spectators as the official Autograph Session began.

RML AD Group embraced all the razzmatazz of the event by adding a pair of brolly dollies to shield the drivers from the sun..

Race Start

The race was due to begin at 12:00 local time. We supplied our regular "live" coverage here, so please accept our apologies for any spelling mistakes, typos or tense errors that may have crept in.

The cars started making their way out onto the grid from 11:15, where they sat for more than forty minutes under baking sun. Many of the drivers left the grid, having taken their cars out from the pitlane, and sought shelter in the shade. Twenty minutes before the five-minute board the organisers came through the grid ordering all the cars to swap sides - it seems the marshals setting out the grid, and posting the bunny girls on their allocated positions, had read the starting grid incorrectly, and put pole on the right, off the racing line. All-change, and not much fun in the heat.

11:57
The cars move off the grid, the #7 Peugeot leading the pack, followed by Fassler in the #1 Audi and the rest of the grid.

12:00
The cars still on the back straight. Packed grandstands over the pit straight.

12:00:59
The start! A long hold on the red lights. Tommy gets a nudge from behind, but he's still going, the team will monitor the car as he goes round./

Bourdais leads from Fassler, with Montagny third and under increasing pressure from McNish. We appear to have lost a couple of cars, including the #59.

End of the first lap, and Bourdais leads by half a second from fassler, with Montagny a second down, and then McNish right on his tail.

In LMP2, Jody Firth leads in the #46 from Kraihamer in the #46. Phil radios to tell Tommy that the back of the HPD looks fine - nothing hanging off, and all intact. He's made up one position at the start, and is now ahead of the #35 Oak Pescarolo.

Danny Watts has also lost a slot to the #36 Signatech Oreca, so it's a one-two-three for the French manufacturer.

Onto the fourth lap, and these circuits are coming round thick and fast. No change for the overall lead, but oak holds the "petrol" lead, fifth overall. The pace is frantic, and many cars are already setting times that equal, or better, their qualifying times. The conditions are perfect.

A casualty in LMP2, with a very early pitstop for the #43 RLR MG Lola.

12:07
The battle for the LMP2 lead is among the most intense of the race so far, with the first four separated by little more than two seconds, and Kraihamer pays the consequences, and runs wide, allowing several through as he drops to 8th in P2, 17th overall.

That elevates Watts back to third, and Firth benefits enormously, and finds himself with a sudden five-second lead.

Five laps into the six hours and the leaders are already through to the tail-enders, and dicing with the slower cars.

12:11
Not a great lap for Tommy, and after making up that slot on the start, he's now lost it again, so the #36 is running 21st overall, up just one position since the start, and that thanks to the problems for RLR.

Coming up to the quarter hour - and at a pace that is almost impossible to follow - the order in LMP2 is: 46, 26, 42, 41, 49, 40, 45, 39, 44, 33, 35 and 36. Tommy has just posted a 1:42.469, which is a best-yet in the race for the #36, and faster than several of those ahead of him, but the class leaders are still posting 1:40s or better.

Kraihamer is setting consistent 1:39s as he fights to recover the ground lost after his clash with Ayari in the #26. The #43 is still in the pitlane.

12:15
Bourdais leads by two seconds now from Fassler, who has half a second over Montagny, with McNish less than a second behind him - and they're keeping this up as they go through the traffic.

There's a tremendous battle in store for third in LMP2, where Danny Watts now has Tom Kimber-Smith right under his rear wing, and then the #49 Oak (Premat) moves through instead, and latches onto Watts. Kimber Smith then finds himself coming under pressure from Kraihamer, who's just overtaken Rosier in the #44 Norma.

12:19
Kraihamer has been trying a bit too hard perhaps, and he's off and into the gravel at the first part of the Rivazza double-left. He was very lucky not to collect a few more cars in the process.

12:20
Premat gets ahead of Watts, so the Oak is now through to third in LMP2, and the Strakka HPD has no answer, either to that, or to Tom Kimber-Smith in the Greaves Zytek, is now hassling Watts for fourth, 13th overall.

12:23
Amazingly, no serious incidents yet, despite the very close and physical nature of the racing.The narrowness of the track does not help. The leaders are already starting to lap the faster LMP2 cars, and are catching the duel between Watts and Kimber-Smith. With lights flashing in his mirrors, Watts is surprised to see Kimber-Smith coming through as they twist their way through Tamburello./

12:26
Problems for meichtry in the #40 Race Performance Oreca Judd, which has pitted and is backwards into the box. Tommy benefits from that, and he's now eleventh in class, with Kraihamer just ahead, having started his recovery from spin number two. There are risks associated with pushing too hard, and Kraihamer has been paying the penalty.

Jody Firth continues to lead the class, although a touch on one of the GTE Ferraris can't have helped, but he still has 14 seconds over Ayari, and is pulling away to the tune of two or three seconds with every lap.

Tommy is maintaining a steady pace, clocking times in the 1:43/44 area, and reports that the tyres are holding out well, so far.

12:31
Jody Firth sets a new fastest lap for the TDS Racing Oreca,.with a 1:39.195 being one of the fastest of anyone on the track, including the best of the LMP1 petrol cars.

Meanwhile, the battle for the overall lead has intensified again, and Fassler is tucked tightly under the tail of Bourdais in the #7 Peugeot. With Montagny not far behind Fassler, there's less than two seconds covering all three. They lap Jody Firth, so are up to 9th overall.

12:34
Tommy has said goodbye to Kraihamer, who is making his pendulum-like way back up (and down) the LMP2 order. Erdos now has his sights set on Rosier in the #44 Extreme Limite Norma, which is jut two seconds ahead. He can also catch a glimpse of Scott Tucker in the Level 5 Lola as they run the straighter sections, because the black Lola is a mere four seconds ahead of the RML HPD.

12:37
A fastest lap from Tommy of 1:42.182, and a response from Tucker too, with 1:41.984 revealing the benefits of a lighter car with larger restrictors - the two cars share the same engine, but there the similarity ends.

12:39
The leaders have resumed their tooth and nail dispute, with Fassler all over the back of the Peugeot. The 908 seems to have the torque to pull away out of the corners, but through the twisty bits the R18 is evidently the quicker car.

12:41
The leaders lap Tommy for a second time. The #36 is tight on the #44, but seemingly Tommy is unable to get ahead of the Norma. There;s no shortage of experience or talent from the Brazilian, but the car simply hasn't got the speed.

12:43
Bourdais and Fassler lap the Level 5 Lola, but Montagny is the one setting the pace. We are just coming into the first round of pitstops.

12:44
Twenty seven laps gone and McNish pits from fourth place. Tom Kimber-Smith also pits from third, and so too Kaffer and Rosier, so Erdos moves through to eighth in LMP2.

12:46
Ayari and Premat pit in LMP2, and so does Fassler from second overall.

12:47 PITSTOP (Erdos)
The team refuel the car and change one bank of tyres as Tommy comments on low pressure from one of them. Otherwise a fairly routine pitstop, just over a minute.

12:50
Firth pits from the lead in LMP2 - one of the last to do so. Nearly all the class has pitted now, but it may take a while for the true order to be revealed.

The pitstops have now unravelled, and the only significant change at the top of the chart is in the lead for the petrol class in LMP1, where Jani has managed to get ahead of Moreau.

12:52
A late pitstop for Strakka, and a lengthy one too. Leventis takes over driving duties in the #42, and the extended delay sees the HPD slip behind Tommy, and end up 8th in LMP2. Problems too for De Crem in the #45 - a two-minute pitstop confirming the driver change from the erratic Kraihamer. The net result is of benefit to Tommy, who has moved through to seventh in class, 16th overall - his best position yet.

Montagny passes Fassler, the latter caught out on the wrong side of a tail ender, so a Peugeot one-two.

Tommy is also ahead of kaffer now in the #39 Pecon Lola, thanks to a much quicker pitstop. He has five seconds to make up on Tucker in the Level 5 Lola.

Hour 2 - 3 (13:00-14:00)

One hour completed, and it's a Peugeot one-two overall, but only just from Audis in third and fourth.

The order in LMP2 is: 46, 49, 26, 41, 35, 33, 36, 39, 42, 45, running 10th through 19th inclusive. Rosier in the #44 has dropped to 25th overall, and the #40 to 38th.

The #43 is still in the pits, apparently having the steering rack replaced. The MG is expected to return to the track in the next five minutes.

13:05
The GTE-Pro leaders, Rob Bell in the JMW Ferrari and Giancarlo Fisichella in the #51 are both into the pitlane for the first time in this race.

13:07
The RLR MG rejoins the race. Just witnessed Montagny cutting across the front of one of the Felbermayr Porsches in a deliberately threatening move - more questionable driving from Peugeot.

Firth has continued to increase his lead in LMP2, and now has more than 25 seconds over Prémat in the #49, with Ayari a relatively distant third, a further 8 seconds in arrears. Fourth is Tom Kimber-Smith, fifteen seconds back down the track but a country mile ahead of Barlesi in the #35 Oak.

13:12
Tommy has lost a place to Pierre Kaffer - the Pecon Lola having the power to out-pace the HPD along the straights, and Tommy has no answer to that. Moments later, he loses another position, this time to Scott Tucker in the #33 Level 5 Lola. Tommy responds with a quicker time, and closes back down on the black car, but that's about as much as he can do.

13:15
Tommy has to accept the cards he's been handed, and can do nothing to counter the outright pace advantage the cost-capped cars have. He has to sit there and watch Kaffer and Tucker pulling away from him. No disrespect to the others, but having a driver of Tommy's calibre out-dragged so easily just makes no sense.

13:19
Perhaps I wrote too soon. In am masterful display through dense traffic,. Tommy has closed right back on Scott Tucker's Lola, but has come under pressure from De Crem in the #45.

13:21
In the middle of that situation, Tommy radios through to report loss of power, and he cannot respond at all to the aggressive stance being taken by De Crem, who flies by easily.

13:22
Confirmation that Tommy has an issue, as yet undiagnosed, but associated with a loss of power.

13:23 PITSTOP (Erdos)
Tommy comes back down the pitlane. The team refuel, and then haul the car back into the garage. Initial suspicions here are a repeat of the Le Mans turbo issues, but that's not confirmed.

The #36 instantly drops down the order.

13:27
Out front, Bourdais leads by nearly ten seconds now from Montagny, with Fassler five seconds behind in third, and McNish fourth.

13:29
The #23 MIK Zytek has gone off into the gravel and is being snatched back out, but looks well buried at Rivazza. The car was running 9th overall, the last of the LMP1 cars.

The #36 is still in the garage as the team works on the engine. The car has slipped right to the back of the field in a race, so far, that has seen few incidents and fairly clean running for most of the 48 starters.

McNish pits the #2 Audi and hands over to Kristensen.

13:36 BACK ON TRACK (Erdos)
Tommy rejoins after just 12 minutes - if that was a turbo, then that was the quickest replacement the crew has yet achieved.

13:40
Davidson pits from the lead, and Sarrazin goes through to take the lead.

13:42
Jody Firth pits from the lead of LMP2. He's lead the class from the start, and when he entered the pitlane had more than two minutes over Nicolet, second for Oak, and Lombard, third for the Greaves Zytek.

Allan Simonsen has been awarded a stop-go penalty for an earlier incident when he tapped the Jota Aston Martin into a spin.

Erdos is out and running strongly again, on fresh tyres, a full tank and an engine pulling strongly again. he's lying 43rd overall, so a massive mountain to climb now. Confirmation that it was another HPD turbo failure, but the mechanics now have the refit down to a fine art.

Beche has taken over from Firth in the #46 TDS Racing Oreca, and Bouchut replaced Tucker in the #33 at the last Level 5 Lola.

13:46
Beche maintains the lead in LMP2 for TDS, from Nicolet for Oak in second and Lombard, fourth for Greaves in the #41 Zytek. The Signatech Oreca is fifth, Mailleux having taken over driving duties there. De Crem is running fifth in class for Boutsen, 13th overall, from Kaffer (#39) and Bouchut (#33).

The FLM leader, Simon on the #95, is holding an impressive 16th overall, and currently circulating two or three seconds a lap quicker than Nick Leventis in the Strakka HPD, next up and 8th in LMP2. That rounds up the sum total of all the LMP2 cars that have not yet encountered any problems. The #40 Race Performance Oreca has dropped to 23rd overall, and the #44 is 28th.

Tommy Erdos has moved ahead of the #35 Oak Pescarolo, which is now in the garage, and is running 42nd.

Lombard has closed the Greaves Zytek right down onto the tail of Nicolet in the #49 Oak Pescarolo, and passes for second in LMP2 as they make the run down into Acque Minerali. Beche still leads by nearly a minute over Lombard, now second in the class.

Hour 3- 4 (14:00-15:00)

Two hours gone, and into the third. Tommy is fighting back after the technical issue, and has just posted a 1:42.784 for the #36 HPD.

Bouchut posts a new fastest lap for the #33 - 1:41.478.

14:08
Tommy moves through to 41st place by overtaking the #82 CRS Ferrari, Phil Quaife in the cockpit of the GTE-Am F430.

Another fast lap from Bouchut in the HPD-powered Lola; 1:40.960

Mailleux in the #26 Signatech Oreca has De Crem in the similar Boutsen car less than a tenth behind him as they scuttle over the kerbs through Alta.

14:16
Ragues in the #15 Oak LMP1 pits from 8th, and slips a few places, but is the first of the top ten to make a third pitstop - then he stays there far too long, and drops to 14th overall before rejoining. The top six in P2 pass him in the pitlane.

The three Nissan-powered Orecas are line astern on track, but with beche in the TDS car looking to lap De Crem and Mailleux ahead of him. He's flashing his lights frantically, but they're not giving way.

Tommy has the three Orecas directly behind him, and he's trying to unlap himself on the #49 Oak Pescarolo. He does that, and then has the Signatech and Boutsen cars behind him, as Beche moves through on all three. Tommy has moved up to 39th overall.

14:24 PITSTOP (Erdos out, Mike Newton in)
Tommy arrives in the pitlane to hand over to Mike Newton - fuel and tyres.

The #45 is "under investigation for overtaking by trackside", by which means heading out across the grass to take the position on the Signatech car, for which De Crem will serve a stop and go penalty..

Mike rejoins the race in 40th position.

14:30
A spin for the #35The #45 comes in to complete the penalty - it stops, but it won't go. The team pushes the car back to the garage.

14:35
Penalty for the #15 Oak for having too many people working on the car in the pitlane, under Article 19 of the regulations.

Pitstop for Strakka racing - Leventis out, and Jonny Kane into the #42. The #45 is still in the garage, unable to restart after the stop and go.

Beche leads LMP2 by more than a full lap, with Lombard second in the Greaves Zytek, and then Mailleux third for Signatech by thirty seconds - but then Lombard pits, and Mailleux closes and then passes along the pit straight - through to second in class. Bouchut also moves through too, taking the Level 5 Lola into the top-ten for the first time, third in LMP2. Most have yet to stop, so this may just be temporary.

Now that he's getting into the groove, Mike's times have started to fall, and he's now clocking forty-sixes on a regular basis.

Kane is back into the pitlane in the Strakka HPD, reason unknown.

100 laps completed by the leaders, and no let up in the relentless contest for first position in this race. Davidson has regained the top slot for #7, with Sarrazin just seven seconds behind, but the battle for track position is between Davidson and Kristensen, the Audi driver looking to unlap himself. They clash through the Turn 3 at Tamburello, and Kristensen is nudged off onto the gravel. It was an adventurous move, and Davidson simply held his line.

14:50
A good run so far from Mike, and he's gained three or four places since taking over driving duties in the #36, and is now lying 36th. Any moment now he will overtake the Strakka HPD, which is still in the garage.

Bouchut continues to impress in the Level 5 Lola, and now stands third in class, behind Mailleux (second in the #26) and Beche, still leading for TDS.

14:55
Entering the third phase of scheduled pitstops for the LMP2 runners. The #39 has been the first to complete the visit for fuel and tyres.

14:58
Strakka Racing is out and running again after a ten minute pitstop to resolve a gear-shift problem. Mike has moved through to take 35th overall, but Mike has a slow front puncture and will be pitting soon for a replacement.

The #49 Oak Pescarolo is into the garage for repairs. Had been running fourth in LMP2.

14:59 PITSTOP (Newton)
A brief stop for fuel and a replacement tyre.

Hour 4- 5 (15:00-16:00) Half Way

We reach the mid-point in this race, and there's still everything to race for.

15:04 PITSTOP (Newton)
Mike back in complaining of severe vibration, but team confirm that it's just pick-up on the rubber. He gets some new tyres but advised that there was nothing wrong with the previous set. Mike drops back to 38th position with the two pitstops.

15:12
Kristensen pits from fourth, and Rob Bell is off into the gravel in the fifth-placed JMW Ferrari at Rivazza.

Nicolas Prost goes off at Tamburello, and drives right through the gravel trap, takes to the grass track, keeps moving, negotiates another gravel trap, and then rejoins the circuit directly in front of Mike. Some impressive car control - after the event.

15:15
The Signatech Oreca Nissan is into the pitlane for what looks to be a regular stop. The car is one of the last in P2 to make a fourth scheduled fuel stop - only Beche amongst the leading group has yet to stop.The two Audis have also pitted - Kristensen handing back to McNish, perhaps for the rest of the race, and Fassler back into the #1.

Mike has resumed his earlier pace, and is circulating more comfortably now, holding 37th overall. Kane, now with the gearbox working as it should, is one of the quickest in P2 at the moment, regularly ducking under one-forty-one, and has moved up to 31st.

15:22
Pitstop for Sarrazin from second place. He rejoins 38 seconds behind Davidson in the #7.

15:26
Beche pits from the lead in LMP2. He had a full lap over mailleux, second for Signatech. Bouchut had already completed a pitstop for Level 5, allowing Lombard through into third for Greaves, but the #41 has pitted as well now, so the status quo should be restored fairly soon.

McNish, back in the #1 R18, is currently the fastest driver on track, posting a 1:35.447 last time round, a good three seconds faster than anyone else.

Thiriet has taken over in the P2 leading TDS Racing Oreca and will probably see this through to the finish. It's hard to judge which of the three in this line-up is supposed to be the amateur . . .

15:35
A spin and gravel-trap drive-through for Companc in the #39 Pecon Lola at Rivazza. It costs him some time, and pride, but he recovers fairly well to retain 13th overall, but pits anyway.

15:37
Kraihamer is back in the Boutsen Energy Oreca, and unlapping himself on the TDS car. Russo takes over from Companc in the Pecon Lola.

Mike does a 1:45, but is still more than a minute behind Sam Hancock in the Jota Aston Martin in 36th overall.

15:44
Mike confirms some contact. The car remains drivable, and he's not sure of the extent of any damage. The team suspects some dive-plane damage, and they will prepare to fit a new nose, if necessary, at the next pitstop.

Mailleux pits from third in LMP2. It's still so tight for second through fourth that places do change on the pitstops, and Barbosa (now in the cockpit of the #33 level 5 Lola) regains third. Although there's a lap between Thiriet and Lombard, these's just thirty seconds or so between second and third.

15:48
Mike is told to pit, so that the team can attend to the damage.

15:49 PITSTOP (Newton out, Collins in)
Mike comes in to have the damage to the #36 attended to. The team refuel the car, then pull the HPD back into the garage so more personnel can work on the car. Mike climbs out and is replaced by Ben.

15:51
Porsche #75, the Prospeed car, has sustained a puncture and is limping back with the rubber fouling the bodywork. Smoke and the potential for debris.

15:53 BACK ON TRACK (Collins)
Ben rejoins the race.

The #23 goes for a spin at Tamburello. The non-hybrid LMP1 car has regained some ground since the earlier problems, and is running 11th overall.

Ben has come out in 40th place, and is running with Kraihamer in the #45 Boutsen Energy Performance Oreca, and both are closing on the CRS Ferrari, driven by Adam Christodoulou.

15:59
Just before the end of the hour, McNish pits the #2 Audi from fourth.

Hour 5- 6 (16:00-17:00)

16:05
Kraihamer passes Christodoulou for 37th, but Ben has a minute or so to make up. He just clocked a 1:42.180, which is one of the car's quickest so far in this race.

The Genoa FLM car, the leader in the class, has had an off at Villeneuve, and trawled a mass of gravel back onto the track all the way to Tosa.

Ordonez is into the #26 Signatech Oreca and running fourth in P2, 11th overall. What a fairytale story for the first graduate of the PlayStation Academy - from armchair racer to the real thing in two years, and he's no mean racer either!

Jonny Kane has hauled the Strakka Racing HPD up to 26th overall, and now stands seventh in LMP2. In equally rapid order and he is quicker at the moment) Ben Collins has overtaken Christodoulou, who pitted five minutes ago and handed back to Phil Quaife.

16:13
Lombard pits the Greaves Zytek from second in LMP2 and hands over to Karim Ojjeh for the run to the flag. He regains the track without losing position.

16:15
Jonny Kane up to 24th overall, and makes that psychologically important move onto the first timing screen.

Montagny pits from second, and rejoins in smart order. Davidson pits on the next lap. The Peugeots look to have this one in the bag, and have almost a lap over Fassler in third. McNish is faster than all three, but now has much ground to make up. he may catch fassler before the end, but reeling in the 908s may be beyond even him.

Ben Collins' next target is Nicolas Jonsson in the Krohn Racing Ferrari 430 for 37th position.

16:22
Ben reports a gear selection problem. Phil gives him instructions on how to reset the system. He does that, and reports that he's immediately "back in business". A minor worry, but swiftly solved and just a few seconds lost.

16:23
Jonny Kane sets a new fastest lap for the #42; a 1:40.545. He's overtaken Henzler in the #76 Porsche for 22nd overall.

16:25
The class leader pits from 8th overall, Thiriet in for an extended pitstop. He's lost the lead of the class, after a near-dominant run after four all these hours at the top.. Barbosa now leads for Level 5 in the #33, with Karim Ojjeh just 18 seconds behind. Third is Ordoñez in the #26.

16:30
Thiriet still in the box, and slipping rapidly now. 13th overall, 6th in class.

Ben has passed the JMW Ferrari in the pitlane, so has 37th position, and may collect another place in a moment, as the #45 Boutsen Oreca has pitted, out of sequence.

16:34
Alex Prémat runs wide and over the grass on the exit of Acque Minerali, but rejoins. He's pushing hard from 5th in class in the hope of catching Russo in the Pecon Lola.

16:36
Ordonez pits the Signatech Oreca, which must be early?

16:37
Ben reports another loss of power. Could it be yet another turbo failure? Phil suggests that it looks like the right-side turbo this time, so it's another pitstop for the RML HPD.

Jonny Kane posts another best for the #42 - a 1:40.394 It's his last lap. He pits, and hands over to Danny Watts for the final run. Fuel and tyres for the HPD..

16:38 PITSTOP (Collins)
Ben into the pitlane for a predicted ten to twelve minute stop for the replacement of another turbo.

Danny Watts resumes in 22nd overall.The Strakka HPD is running 6th in LMP2, but will need problems for others before it regains any more class positions.

16:46
The LMP2 leader pits, Barbosa handing over the Level 5 Lola to Bouchut for the final stint. Should get back out again without losing the lead, but will be close to Ojjeh in the Greaves Zytek. Indeed, Ojjeh does go through as Bouchut rejoins.

Not much comment today on GT, mainly because we can't see the second screen very easily. The second BMW has just been pulled back into the garage,, but the #56 leads GTE-Pro by 45 seconds.

16:49
The Krohn Racing Ferrari off into the gravel. It's awkwardly placed on the kerbs.

16:50 BACK ON TRACK (Collins)
Ben rejoins, with a new turbo and double yellows at Villeneuve, where the Krohn Ferrari is still beached. Ben's stop was just over 11 minutes which, allowing for driving in and out of the pitlane, means under ten minutes now to replace a turbo. These guys are trying to set records!

16:51
Bourdais pits from the lead, but this stop could be out of sequence.

16:56
Fassler pits the #1 Audi with over an hour to go, so both the #1 Audi and the #7 Peugeot will need to pit again before the finish. Montagny leads overall by 36 seconds from Davidson. The Krohn Ferrari, #57, has been officially retired.

16:58
Ben gets the message that the car appears to have developed an oil leak,. He's going through Rivazza at the time, so he heads straight for the pitlane seconds later.

16:59 PITSTOP (Collins)
Ben into the pits, refuelled, and back into the garage once again.

Meanwhile, interesting developments at the head of the race, with Montagny "trapped" between Bernhard and Kristensen - now into the #2. Montagny is possibly being delayed by this situation, and it is allowing Bourdais to close. The gap first to second is thirty seconds.

In LMP2, Ojjeh leads from Bouchut, with Ordonez third, Russo fourth and Nicolet fifth. Watts hasn't been able to replicate the kind of times Kane was setting, not yet anyway, as he carries the fuller tanks at the start of his stint. He's 17th overall, sixth in class.

Hour 6- Finish (19:03-20:03)

17:03
Kristensen catches Montagny, and passes him to unlap himself. We may have the prospect fairly son of the first four cars all on the lead lap. Ben rejoins after a 3-minute pitstop to top-up the oil and stem the leak.

17:10
Situation in LMP2 remains fairly fluid, since the departure of the TDS Racing Oreca. The Level 5 Lola continues to lead from Ojjeh in the Greaves Zytek, and Ordonez holds third. The first two are on the same lap, but there's a lap back to third - but all that could change with the pitstops.

Similarly, the competition in LMP1 could also be determined by the pitstops, as both Audis (separated by a mere 2 seconds) could be back on the lead lap before long.

Russo has pitted the #39 Pecon Lola from fourth in P2, 11th overall.

17:16
A very rapid stop for the #1 Audi, made so by only replacing two tyres and a full fuel. he can go to the flag from now on.

Ben is circulating strongly again, 37th overall.

The #93 Genoa FLM is evidently having a lot of problems, as has been spinning off the track almost regularly for the last ten minutes or more - to the point that it has been shown the "warning flag". The #99 currently leads the class from the #91, with the #95 third.

17:20
Pitstop for Strakka, with Watts staying in the cockpit for the final stint. he and Jonny Kane have dragged the Strakka HPD back up to a fairly respectable 17th overall, sixth in class, and good for another respectable haul of points. It may not be enough to maintain their lead in the series, but it won't go amiss.

Ayari makes the final pitstop for the #26.

Ojjeh is just 14 seconds behind Bouchut for the lead now, but the Level 5 Lola is stuck in a tight struggle through traffic with Danny Watts, and they briefly make contact. As a result, Ojjeh narrows the gap to just ten seconds.

17:28
The #49 makes another excursion to the beach.

17:31
A better lap for Bouchut, and he extends the LMP2 lead to 16 seconds.

Confirmation from Martyn Pass that the last stop for the #2 Audi was to replace a punctured tyre. Kristensen will have one more stop,in a few minutes, but the #1 will now go to the flag.

17:34
An unexpected pitstop for Bouchut in the #33 Level 5 Lola, and Ojjeh goes through to take the class lead. The #33 has the engine cover off, and now it's into the garage. Half an hour from the flag, and another problem for an HPD engine.

17:37
Final pitstop for Tom Kristensen. He rejoins right beside Bernhard in the #1, less than a second between them.

View on screen of a lap from Ben Collins, and one of his best too, a 1:41.757. Simultaneously Sebastien Bourdais sets a new lap record for this configuration of the Imola circuit - which has never hosted an F1 race with the layout being used today. His time of 1:33.112 is hugely impressive.

Twenty minutes remain, and Karim Ojjeh leads LMP2 very comfortably now after Bouchut's extended pitstop - for reasons unknown, but fairly quickly resolved, such that the Level 5 Lola has rejoined in second . . . but only briefly.

17:41
Bouchut pits again. he gets to his box just ahead of Bourdais in the #7 Peugeot - fuel, no tyres. It's an exemplary pitstop, and he's out in 57 seconds. The gap to Montagny narrows to 33 seconds.

17:42
Bouchut is still in the pitlane, and Ayari has moved through to take the second slot in P2. If the Level 5 Lola stays there much longer, then even that third step is going to look unlikely.

Bouchut returns to the track, running again in third, but Russo has closed significantly.

Ben has moved on to 36th overall, but has one more splash'n'dash to go.

Not mentioned the TDS Racing Oreca for some while, but the car is running again, and is threatening a return to the first timing screen. Currently 25th overall, and with Beche back in the cockpit, is running as fast now as it has all race.

17:48
Pitstop for Ojjeh in the #41 Greaves Zytek.

The problem for Bouchut was gear selection - stuck in fourth gear.

17:50 PITSTOP (Collins)
Fuel only, for 12 seconds. In and out in a jiffy.

One of the closest situations in these final minutes is for the lead in GTE-Am, where Narac (#67 Porsche) leads by just two seconds from Pat Long in the #63 Porsche.

Puncture or suspension problem for the #58 ferrari, spinning off at Tosa. The car goes off again at the exit of Acque Minerali, on the rise up the hill. The rear has collapsed and he also appears to have a puncture . . . so close to the finish.

Bourdais leads by just 18.5 seconds from Montagny, and then three seconds between Bernhard and Kristensen.

The GTE-Am battle narrows to well under a second. Can Pat Long take the win in the final moments?

17:56
Just four minutes to go and Peugeot is preparing to receive Frank Montagny for a final splash of fuel. He drives by on this lap, so may come in on the next.

No such drama in LMP2, where Ojjeh has a generous lead of almost two laps over Ayari, with Bouchut, nursing his gearbox as best he can, in third for Level 5. Russo is just 28 seconds behind.

17:59
Montagny finally makes his pitstop. It's very quick - next to no fuel needed, of course, Looses time, but no position, but both Audis are back onto the same lap as the #8 Peugeot. So that's about three minutes only behind the leader, suggesting that the 908's better fuel economy has accounted for a Peugeot win here.

Pat Long pits on the last lap - so no dramatic end for GTE-Am.

18:02 FINISH
Bourdais takes the chequered flag, followed across the line by Danny Watts in the Strakka HPD - 14th overall and 6th in LMP2. Karim Ojjeh takes the in in LMP2 - another win for Greaves Zytek Nissan to add to the 24 Hours class victory last month. Second to Signatech and then third for Level 5 - a justification for their decision to run the open-topped Lola this weekend, and make the most of the cost-capped benefits.

Montagny crosses the line 68 seconds after Bourdais, and the two Audis third and fourth. First petrol-engined car is the #13 Rebellion Lola (Bouillon) from the sister car (Prost) in 5th and 6th.

A win in GTE-Pro for the #71 Ferrari,with Vilander taking the flag,, two laps or more clear of Bruni in the AF Cores #51, with the #55 BMW third.

GTE-Am victory to Narac in the end, much more easily from Pat Long than it might have seemed at five minutes, with Julien canal third for Larbre in the yellow Corvette.

No safety car at all in six hours of very close and at times physical racing - a testament this time to the quality of the driving and the discipline between the classes.

Ben Collins crossed the line in 36th overall. A hugely disappointing run for the guys at RML, who worked with characteristic dedication to ensure that, whatever the problem, the car kept running. Over the years these guys have acquired a fully deserved reputation for being some of the best in the business, and once again,they've proved their worth. Two turbos replaced in a total of 23 minutes (less the time spent travelling through the pitlane) is a remarkable achievement - especially when you add in the thought that those turbo units are red-hot when they fail, and simply removing them is a challenge. Getting a new unit replaced in under ten minutes each time is something to be proud of.

More comment in due course. If you've been with us throughout the last six hours, thankyou. Catch up with us on Facebook.

Results

	#	o/a	Team	Car	Drivers	Best Lap	Result (laps)
1	41	14	Greaves M'rsport	Zytek 09S	Ojjeh, Lombard, Kimber-Smith	1'40.457	205
2	26	13	Signatech	Oreca 03 Nissan	Mailleux, Ordonez, Ayari	1'39.762	203
3	33	15	Level 5 M'sports	Lola HPD	Tucker, Bouchut, Barbosa	1'39.989	201
4	39	18	Pecon Racing	Lola B11/40 Judd	Companc, Russo, Kaffer	1'40.584	10.534
5	49	17	Oak Racing	Pescarolo Judd	Nicolet, Prémat	1'40.123	200
6	42	12	Strakka Racing	HPD ARX -01d	Leventis, Watts, Kane	1'40.385	197
2	99	24	JMB Racing	Oreca FLM	Ducote, Marcelli, Marroc	1'44.443	195
3	95	25	Pegasus Racing	Oreca FLM	Schultis, Simon, Schell	1'44.785	39.231
7	46	10	TDS Racing	Oreca 03 Nissan	Beche, Thiret, Firth	1'38.596	194
4	91	27	Hope Racing	Oreca FLM	Moro, Graves, Zhang	1'44.481	36.473
8	39	19	Extreme Limite	Norma Judd	Rosier, Basso	1'41.596	193
1	93	23	Genoa Racing	Oreca FLM	Petersen, Julian, Zugel	1'44.921	192
9	35	20	Oak Racing	Pescarolo Judd	Barlesi, Da Rocha, Lafargue	1'41.764	191
10	45	11	Boutsen Energy	Oreca 03 Nissan	Kraihamer, de Crem	1'39.389	35.155
11	36	22	RML AD Group	HPD ARX -01d	Erdos, Newton, Collins	1'40.605	186
			Not Classified
12	43	21	Team RLR	MG Lola EX-265	Garofall, Phillips, Gates	1'44.068	140
13	40	16	Race Performance	Oreca 03 Judd	Frey, Meichtry, Rostan	1'40.480	69
-	92	-	Neil Garner M'sport	Oreca FLM	Keen, Keating, Hartshorne	-	DNS

To download the complete results listing, please visit the Le Mans Series website.

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